Sheet-metal display can or box.



PATEN'TBD MAR. 5, 1907. GER. R B0X.

'APPLICATION FILED NOV.13. 19

E RUDOLPHI n E BRAUNIN SHEET METAL DISPLAY GAN 0 mi Naluus rzrlks col. wAsmnmruN. v,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK RUDOLPIII AND EMIL RRAUNINGEROE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIeN- ORS TO AMERICAN CAN COMPANY, OE NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SHEET-METAL DISPLAY CAN OR BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

-atented March 5, 1907'.

To all whom t may con/cern:

Be it known that we, FRANK RUDoLPI-II and EMIL BRAUNINGER, citizens of Ithe United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sheet-etal Display Cans or Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in sheet-metal display cans or boxes for containing, shipping, storing, and displaying for sale crackers, bakery goods, and other like articles. v

The sheet-metal display-can to which this invention relates are large rectangular returnable cans, usually some ten or twelve inches in each dimension and having the bottom, three upright sides, and cover ordinarily made of tin-plate and the front plate of sheetbrass or other burnishable metal, so that when the can is returned to the bakery after its contents have been sold to be refilled with fresh crackers its front plate maybe subjected to the action of a buliing-wheel and reburnished to give the can a new and bright appearance suitable for containing the fresh goods with which it is to be refilled. Heretofore these cracker-display cans have ordinarily had the letters of the sign or name stamped up in raised or embossed letters on the sheet-brass front plate itself of the can in the advertising mat or space lefttherefor just above the display-opening in the front plate, which is closed by the removable inside-htting glass plate. More recently, however, the construction of these display-cans has been improved by providing the brass front plate of the can with a second opening-,above the display-opening and combining therewith a removable sheet-metal sign-plate, which is removably mounted on the inside of the front plate by sheet-metal cleats or pocket-pieces soldered to the brass front plate on the inside adjacent to the sign-opening therein, as shown, for example, in the Larkin patents, Nos. 764,296 and 764,297 of July 5, 1904. While this Larkin construction Of display-can with the removable inside-fitting sheet-metal sign-plate possesses many advantages over the old construction, where the letters of the sign were stamped upon the brass front plate in raised or embossedletters (doing away, as it does, entirely l with the obstruction offered by the raised l letters to the bu'lfing operation and to the lodgment of bufiing-powder around the raised letters at the bases thereof) it is, nevertheless, open to certain objections, such as the weakening of the brass front plate by reason of the additional opening therein, increased cost incident to the numerous addi tional parts or pieces required in its manufacture, and to the difliculty of soldering such additional parts to the brass front plate, and it was also open to a more serious sanisheet-metal cleats or guide-pieces which form the pocket to secure the removable insidefitting sign-plate in place cannot be practically soldered on the inside ofthe brass front plate without great danger of producing verdigris or poisonous compounds, due to the action of the flux necessary for soldering the tin-plate guide or pocket-pieces on the brass front plate of the can in the practical .manufacture thereof, as it is well known that the ordinary fluxes used in canemaking produce verdigris when the soldering is done on brass, and however careful the manufacturer may be in his endeavors to subsequently clean oIl` the verdigris or poisonous compounds from the inside of the brass front plate there is always danger thatsome may be left and come in contact with the crackers placed in the can.

The object of our invention is to produce a sheet-metal display-can having a removable inside-fitting glass plate and all the advantages of a removable sheet-metal sign-plate, which will be of a simple, strong, and durable construction, composed of few parts and ca* pable of being cheaply manufactured and in which both the glass plate and the sign-plate may be removably mounted one on the inside and the other on the outside of the front plate without the necessity of soldering onto the brass front plate of the can any holding devices for either the removable glass plate or the removable signplate` Our invention consists in the means we employ to practically accomplish this object or result-that is to say, it consists in the novel construction of parts and devices and in the novel combinations of parts and devices herein shown and described.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a pertary objection incident to the fact that the IOO' spective view ol a display-can embodying our invention. F ig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 ol Fig.

sheet-brass or burnishable metal liront plate `l'orining the body ot the can, the bottom plate, and D the hinged cover. The bottom plate C is secured by external folded seams c to the lower edges ot the sides A and B. At the upright corners oill the body the sheetmetal sides A and l'ront side B are united by internal folded seams a. The u'l'n'ight side plates A ol the body have at their upper ends horizontal right-angle flanges a, prelerably about one-hall inch in width, and anglellanges a2, the lower edges of which meet and are soldered to the vertical sides A, thus forming hollow triangular sti'i'l'ening bars or braces A/ at the upper end oi; the body at three sides thereof, and at its remaining or lront side a similar hollow triangular stii'fening and strengthening bar A2, having a corres ending horizontal [lange d and angleillange a2, is provided. At the corners of the body the meeting horizontal llanges a and the meeting angle-llanges a2 ol the hollow strengthening bars or braces A A2 overlap each other and are securely soldered together, thus forming a continuous hollow strengthening bar or brace all around the upper end ol' the body.

The sheet-brass liront plate B of' the body has a display-opening B in its lower portion. surrounded by an int urned aiigled'lange I) and a coun versunk portion B2, surrounded by a marginal wall or angle-llange l/ and 'forming an external seat or recess to receive the externally-litting removable sheet-metal sign-plate G. The brass liront plate B has a fold b2 at its upper edge to give a smooth 'linish thereto, and it lits snugly against and is soldered directly to and supported by the hollow triangular strengtllening-bar A2 at the iront side ol` the can. The thin brass 'front plate is thus given a strong support at its upper end by the bar A2 and a much stronger and better construction produced than those heretofore used where a slot or passage-way is le'lit between the bar A2 and the l'ront plate B lor the removal and insertion ol an inside 'Fitting sign plate. The hinged cover D has a right-angle integral flange d at three ol its edges and a lront flange d of a separate piece and preferably ol brass to correspond to the brass liront B. The lower edges ol' the cover-llauges d d have rolls or coils d2, embracing a wire D, which completely surrounds the cover and forms also the pivot ol its hinge. E is the removable inside-litting glass plate held in place at its lower end against the angleellange l), surrounding the opening B in the brass lront plate B, by a lixcd guide E, preferablyv of sheet metal, and secured immovably in place by an angle-flange e thereof, which is embraced in the folds ol the seam c, which unites the bottom plate C with the front plate B ol the can. yThe removable glass plate E is held in place at its upper end by movable holders F, hinged by a pivotpin or rivet f to the adjacent upright sides A A ol the can and each provided with an integral angle-flange f', 'fitting against the upright side A ol: the can. Each of the hinged glassplate holders F is provided with a laterallyprojecting integral spring-lip j 2, which is adapted to snap and spring over the upper edge ol the glass plate E, and thus hold the same snugly down against the bottom plate ol the can. The integral spring-lipf2 on the holder F has a rounded. or cam-shaped nose f2 to enalflle it to be 'torced or sprung over the upper edge of the glass plate, while at the same time permitting the hinged pivot]` ot the holder to be located slightly to one side ol' the glass plate, so that the spring-lipped holder will have a toggle action when in its closed position or shut past the center. The springslipped toggle-acting holder F is also furnished with a depci'iding lip j, engaging the rear lace oll the glass plate at the upper end thereof.

G is a sheet-metal external removable signplate snugly fitting in the seat or recess formed by the inclined wall or angle-flange b of the countersunk portion B2 of the front plate B. This external removable sign-plate G is furnished at each end with integral rightangle tongues g, which are inserted through slots b3, formed in the recess portion B2 of the l'ront plate B at the base of the angle-flange b. rFliese right-angle tongues or integral extensions g of the sign-plate are furnished with slots g, adapted to receive movable keepers K, which are preferably pivoted to the countersunk portion B2 of the sign-plate B by rivets g2 somewhat below the tongues g. The keepers K are preferably yof sheet metal and furnished with integral lips or flanges lc, projecting at right angles thereto to enable the same to be conveniently turned. The interengaging sign-plate-holding devices g K, the former, g, being integral with or conveniently secured to the sign-plate and the latter movably mounted on the countersunk portion ofthe front plate, thus constitute a very lirm and secure means of removably mounting the externally-fitting sign-plate on the front plate and at the same time adds very little to the cost of the can.

le claiml. ln a sheet-metal display-can, the combination with a front plate furnished with a IOC IOS

display-opening, and a removable inside-fitting glass plate, and provided With anvintegral countersunk portion above the displayopening to form an out-side recess or seat to i receive a sign-plate, of a removable external sheet-metal sign-plate fitting in said recess or seat of the front plate and provided at its ends With integral right-angle tongues projecting through slots in the front plate and movable keepers mounted on the inside of the front plate and lprojecting through the slots in the tongues of the sign-plate to hold the external sign-plate removable on the front plate, substantially as specitied.

2. ln a sheet-metal display-can, the combination with a front plate furnished with a countersunk portion forming an external recess or seat for a sign-plate7 the angle flange or Wall of said countersunk portion having slots through the base thereof, of a removable sheet-metal sign-plate provided with bent and slotted tongues projecting through said slots in the front plate, and movable keeperspivotally. mounted on the inside of the countersunk portion oi the front plate and engaging the slotted tongues of the signplate to hold the sign-plate in place, substantially as specified.

3. In a sheet-metal display-can, the combination With the front plate, of a removable externally-iitting sign-plate having bent and slotted tongues projecting through the slots l in the iront plate and movable keepers l mounted on the inside of the front plate and engaging the slotted tongues of the signplate to hold the same in place, substantially as specified.

Li. In a sheet-metal display-can, the combination with the front plate having an external seat for a sign-plate and a 'slot through the same, of a removable external sign-plate having a bent tongue projecting through said slot in the front plate, and a movable keeper mounted on the inside oi the iront plate and engaging the tongue of the sign-plate, substantially as specified.

5. In a sheet-metal display-can, the combination with the can-body having upright sheet-metal side plates and a front displayplate otl brass provided Withan external signplate seat surrounded by a marginal Wall, of a removable sheet-metal sign-plate itting in said external seat on the front plate with its marginal edges abutting against the marginal Wall of said seat and provided with integral bent tongues projecting through slots in the `front plate, and movable keepers mounted on the inside of the iront plate and engaging the bent tongues of the sign-plate, substantially as specified.

FRANK RUDOLPHI. EMIL BRAUNINGER.

Witnesses: I

H. M. MUNDAY, EDMUND Anoocx. 

